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Mothers have often questioned if their breasts are still making milk as their baby gets a little older, as their breasts may not seem as full as when baby was a newborn.

When baby is about three months your breasts change, at the same time babies tend to have a major growth spurt and are feeding alot. 

As babies tend to feed all the time this doesn’t mean you don’t have enough milk. 

At this time breasts do not tend to store milk like they did initially when baby was newborn.  Your breasts will now make milk on demand when your baby needs it and is drinking.  Your baby will continue to get everything they need.

There is no need to wean and you are making enough milk.

Lots of mothers give up breastfeeding at this stage and may mistakenly think that they need to formula feed baby.  It is actually after the three month of age mark that breastfeeding becomes an enjoyable experience for mothers.

However if you are concerned there are a few things you can do to help increase your milk supply:

Remember that your breast’s will naturally increase your supply. The more milk your baby drinks from your breast, then the next day your breasts will make that much milk ready in anticipation. The baby’s suckling stimulates breasts to produce more milk, so while baby is at your breast suckling there will be milk flowing.

If your baby is not feeding and suckling well, or you start to feed baby with formula, then your breasts will be making less milk as baby will not be getting their food from breastfeeding. This will cause your milk supply to decrease.

Here are some things that you can try toboost your breast milk supply.

Eat 3 healthy meals per day, plus healthy snacks and drinks.
Drink whenever you are thirsty.
Tiger’s Milk 
Lactation Boosting Cookies  
 Complan Milk Shakes
Porridge
Fenugreek
Weleda Nursing Tea
Domperidone (prescribed by doctors and midwives)
Drink a glass of water after every feed
Expressing with a breast pump after feeding baby
Sleep and rest!

Also…is there really a problem with supply? The best way to tell is by output. If baby is fussy in the evening, this doesn’t mean that the supply is dropping off, its just normal behaviour for babies to cluster feed in the evening, and the milk will be there as long as you put baby to the breast – which might be VERY frequently at that time of the day – but its normal, and doesn’t mean there isn’t anything there.

Breastmates have a great list of real  Breastfeeding Tips for mothers.

 

Frances McInnes is the owner of Breastmates Maternity Store. Breastmates have gorgeous maternity products as well as tips and advice for parents. http://www.breastmates.co.nz

If in doubt, ring for advice; 01285 862439.

You will be asked lots of questions to get an idea of the situation in order for the best advice to be offered.

DO NOT give it anything to eat or drink unless advised to do so.

If you think you have found an orphan it is worth bearing a few things in mind.

Hedgehogs The female hedgehog will leave her young to find food, often if a nest of hoglets is found; it is assumed that if mum is not with them that they have been abandoned, this is not necessarily the case. If the hoglets seem content and sleeping, leave them alone and return later to check. If they appear unsettled, are cold or are emitting a high-pitched sound, which indicates they are hungry, or the nest has clearly been destroyed then they will need to be picked up. Badger Cubs A badger cub out on its own in the day indicates a problem, most cubs are seen at the rescue centre at around two months old, this is when they first start to appear above ground, until this time they are in the sett.

Younger cubs may have come above ground if their mother has not returned, once a cub this young is found in difficulty, the area should be searched for others and for an injured adult. Sometimes tiny cubs are found as a result of a collapsed or sett which had been dug into. Fox Cubs If a group of cubs are seen without the presence of an adult the situation should be monitored. A group of cubs that appear contented, asleep in a heap together or playing should be left alone and checked on later. If they are calling or appear to be in distress then something may well have happened to mum and they will need to be rescued. A good search around the area should be made to help with the decision, for instance if the cubs are dispersed over the area rather than together, are cold, lethargic or wet, in a flooded drain or if there are signs of a disturbance then they should be picked up.

If a lone cub is found, out in the open, calling or appears to be distressed it should be picked up. If it is clearly lethargic, wet or cold it should be picked up. If a cub is found that still has its eyes closed then it is under two weeks old and at that age is not able to thermo regulate its body temperature and will soon become cold and eventually die.

Rabbits

Rabbits are born underground blind, deaf and without fur, so if very young ones are seen above ground there is a problem. JCB diggers and dogs often dig up baby rabbits, and the nests are destroyed. Rabbits are weaned at a young age and often are picked up as tiny bunnies, when really they are independent and able to care for themselves. Mum can be pregnant again 12 hours after she gives birth and so the young rabbit kittens are weaned before the next litter is born and so are independent at a young age.

Hares Hares are completely different and are born fully furred, eyes and ears open and sit in their forms above ground. This is often when they are mistakenly picked up as orphans, mum will leave them all day returning only once in 24 hours to feed them. Unless they appear weak, injured or are wet and cold, they should be left alone. Bats Tiny bats sometimes fall from their roosts and where it is not possible to return them, they have to be hand reared. Many young bats that are bought in to the centre are victims of cats and their original roost is unknown. Deer Deer can be tricky to hand rear, more labour intensive than any other orphaned mammal at least in the early days and not in the least impressed with having a human mother.

Doe\’s leave their young for long periods of time usually in long grass or areas of good cover, often these babies are assumed to be orphaned and are picked up. The doe will be close by and will not return to her youngster whilst the human is present, it should be left alone and checked on at a later. Unless it is obviously sick or badly injured it should be left alone.

Should an orphan be correctly identified it should be transported in an appropriately sized box or pet carrier, lined with a warm blanket and covered to keep it dark Fledglings Some fledglings leave their nests and spend sometime on the ground before they are able to fly. Their parents will continue to feed and protect their youngsters, so unless they are in obvious danger, there is no parent present or they are clearly sick or injured, the advice is to leave them to their parents but continue to keep an eye on them from a distance.

Orphaned birds can be produced out of many situations the most common of course is the death of the parents, often witnessed by people watching the adults feeding their young regularly. In other cases they are not so much orphaned as ‘rescued\’.

The nest may have been exposed due to hedge trimming or tree felling, if it is possible to find a suitable site for the nest close by it is worth a try as the parents may continue to care for their youngsters, this is not always possible. Nests built in farm machinery or cars that have been unused for a while which are then put into use and nestlings discovered, this is a regular situation with regard to farm machinery that is used seasonally.

Ducklings that have become separated from mum, often a single one is lost. Birds that have been caught in a storm and are wet and cold, even though the parent is present the bird needs more help than the parent can offer, sometimes after a night in care it is possible to put them back.

The most common is the fledgling caught by the cat, even those uninjured and apparently well cannot be returned unless the exact location it was found is known and then there is a risk of septicemia from the cats\’ teeth to be considered. Some of these fledglings are older and juveniles can become very stressed, so there may be no other course of action than to retrieve it from the cat and if active and protesting, lock the cat in and release the bird. All these cases should be judged on an individual basis, as nothing is ever black and white when it comes to fledglings.

Oak and Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre in Gloucestershire cares for sick, injured and orphaned british wild animals and birds.

If you have an urgent enquiry regarding injured or orphaned wildlife, please ring: 01285 862439

www.oandf.co.uk

If you’re a guinea pig owner you’ve probably entertained the thought of breeding guinea pigs as a hobby. This can be very fun and educational. If you decide to take on this ambitious hobby then you need to make sure that you have the time, the space, the money, and most importantly, the knowledge to do it correctly.

So let’s start with learning all we can about breeding cavies so that you can raise happy and healthy cavy pups.

The Cavy’s Reproductive Cycle

Male cavies, which are called boars, reach reproductive maturity between 60 and 70 days of age (2 – 2 1/2 months). Female cavies, called sows, will reach their reproductive maturity in about the same time frame, but can actually begin their estrous cycle in as few as 4 – 5 weeks. It is not uncommon for the father cavy to breed their own daughters even before they are weaned. If you’re not attentive you could have more cavies on your hands than you anticipated! It is a good idea to separate the boar from the young female cavies for this reason. If young sows are bred at less than 6 weeks of age they will probably have a difficult time carrying all the way through the pregnancy, and may have stillbirths.

The Proper Age to Breed

The time-frame window to breed your female cavy is actually quite small. If you are going to breed your sow the ideal time to do so is between the age of 10 weeks and 6 months. You should never breed a cavy sow before the age of 6 weeks, and if the sow have never been bred before, you should not breed her after the age of 8 months.

The reason that they should not be bred after 8 months of age (if they have never been bred) is that by that age the female’s symphysis pubis will have fused together and they will not be able to pass the fetus through the birth canal, and will usually die of complications.

The Cavy Pregnancy

A female cavy’s pregnacy, or gestation period, can last between 59 and 72 days, averaging 63 to 69 days, depending on the size of the litter she is carrying. The bigger the litter the shorter the gestation period. The average cavy litter size is 3 or 4 pups, but can be as few as 1 pup, or as many as 6 pups. The pups are very well developed when they are born. When they are born they are fully haired, their eyes are wide open, they have fully formed teeth, and they can be nibbling on solid food right away. But they still rely on their parents for nutrition and warmth until they are fully weaned after 14 to 21 days.

The Birth of a Cavy

Cavie parents don’t seem to be concerned about planning for the birth of their pups, in fact ehy make no preparation at all. Cavies usually go into labor in the evening hours and it comes on very suddenly. The sow will give birth to her pups by sitting up and leaning over, or by squatting. The baby cavies are born head-first, and are born 5 to 10 minutes apart. The entire birthing process last approximately 30 minutes. The new mother cavy will clean up the placenta and other tissues by eating them. It is a good idea to leave the mother and pups alone for several hours after they are born.

Weaning the Cavy Pups

As I already mentioned cavy pups are born very well developed and can actually eat solid food within days of being born. But they still need their mothers milk until they are at least 2 weeks old, and preferably 3 weeks old.

As much as you might want to you probably won’t be able to keep all of the new pups in the litter. Now that you have a litter of weaned pups it is your responsibility to make sure that you find a caring and loving home that will provide excellent care of each and every one of them.

One last note: Before you plunge into the hobby of breeding guinea pigs you should ask yourself why you want to breed guinea pigs. Be completely honest with your answer. If your answer is that you want to make money then let me be the bearer of bad news: It is highly unlikely that you will make a profit, in fact you will be lucky if you even break even. Sorry, breeding guinea pigs is just not a money maker.

Mike Andrews is a 52-year Colorado native and is a practicing real estate broker. Mike also dabbles as an internet marketer and operates several online businesses. Mike is a life-long animal lover, a guinea pig enthusiast, and the author of dozens of pet care articles.

For additional information relating to breeding guinea pigs please visit my website at http://www.petguineapigsinfo.com. Peace.

Remember that as long as you take proper care of yourself and your body, you”ll be able to safely breastfeed while pregnant.
Continuing to Feed If you do plan on continuing to breastfeed while you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about it. Not all the time will the doctor agree with your decision.  Sometimes he/she may see something in your health that you don’t. Listen carefully and find out if it is a health reason or simply his/her own belief.  If it is the doctors belief, you can always seek out one that agrees with you.  Being pregnant is hard enough at times, knowing you have someone in your corner will only relieve the stress.  Don’t be surprised if your family and friends want to say something about it and they will probably give you all kind of advice on how to stop and what they’ve read. Nicely explain to them it is your decision and you”ll do what you think is best for your children. Try finding a support group in your area so you have someone to vent to or talk about these issues. Check out if there is a La Leche League near you or online that you can join. 
Stopping or Weaning If you do plan on stopping because you are pregnant, make sure it is for the right reasons. If your child has reached a certain age, it might be best. But never just yank it away from them.  Your child could wonder why it is being taken away. Wonder if they had done something or become discouraged about the new baby coming. Some children decide to wean themselves, which is a big help to you and you won’t feel so guilty about it. You can choose to do it cold turkey, or slowly wean him/her off. Cold turkey can have some bad results.  Try limiting his/her feeding times to certain hours and gradually as time passes take away more. Your child will quickly stop on his/her own and it won’t be a traumatic event. 
Reasons to Stop A few reasons you might want to stop breastfeeding may be if you are feeling constantly drained of energy. Or maybe your child has started to bite. Sometimes your milk will just dry up, this is your body’s way of telling you that it has had enough and to take a break.  Mastitis could play a big role in making you stop immediately as well. Mastitis is an infection in the breast when it isn’t expressed enough and gets engorged. 
Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding your child.

I have write about Breastfeeding Pillow , if you wanna see it click the link below www.BreastfeedingPillow.org

There are different ways that a person can lose weight. Most of these routes don’t take pregnancy into account. In order to find some good ways of weight loss during pregnancy you will find that your doctor can be pf the greatest help. As this worthy individual will know your health at this stage and how it is being affected, the right type of weight loss during pregnancy program can be drawn up for you.

This is not the Movies,the key things that you need to remember are determination to follow through with your plan to lose weight and a healthy weight loss plan this will keep it real for you.

If you want to acheive a healthy weight loss after pregnancy, you need to work for it, and it will take time regardless of how you go about it. Given that you have recently given birth rapid weight loss is not encouraged. You have to realise that your body has undergone some radical changes and needs time to recover?t do that by putting your body through the trauma of a rapid weight loss.

That said, for women looking for weight loss after pregnancy, the best course of action they can follow is the one which advocates a nine month system. In other words, since it took nine months to gradually pile on the pounds, you can expect it to take about the same amount of time to come off. This is of course, if you do it in a healthy manner.

Proper nutrients food and exercise are key to a healthy body that is crucial for your milk production for baby, keep this in mind regarding weight loss after pregnancy.

Most mothers lose their pregnancy weight after they have weaned their baby. They weight you have gained over the last 9 months was mostly due to your body getting ready to breastfeed your baby.

It has been studied that new mothers who breastfeed their babies, burn up to about 700 calories a day. A significant amount when you look at it. The only thing you need to be aware of is that the weight won?t come off as such until you wean baby.

However, it is best if you don?t depend entirely on this method of weight loss after pregnancy, because as reliable as it is, you also need to factor in other things such as your diet and the amount of exercise you get. If any of these conflicts with, or impinges on your weight loss plans, you can be assured that the weight you were to lose breastfeeding would become negligible.

So, stick to a weight loss regime that is healthy and suitable for you, and you see that weight loss after pregnancy isn?t so impossible after all.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy is something I can listen to on my MP3 Player It’s great. Weight After Pregnancy can be tough but I found an easy way. It worked for me I hope it works for You.

My female roborovski hamster, Hamoinee, gave birth to 6 beautiful babies on the 10th of March 2010. The babies were all so pink, cute and were squirming around the cage. At that point of time, I was so tempted to carry them because they were still so small and are not able to jump off my palm like how their mom does.

Luckily, I remembered reading some forum and they mentioned that touching newborn hamsters before a certain period will be fatal for the babies. So now, I am here to tell you When is it OK to Touch Newborn Hamsters and why you should not touch them before that period.

Allow me to define newborn hamsters to ensure that we are referring to the same thing. Newborn hamsters are fragile little pink things that squirm around their cage. Occasionally, they make sounds that are similar to those of birds chirping. This usually signifies that they are hungry or in need of attention from their mom.

After doing research on the forums and reading books related to hamsters, I gathered that it is OK to touch newborns after they are 3 to 4 weeks old. This is because, after 3 to 4 weeks, the hamsters will be able to eat and drink themselves and do not require their mom to feed them anymore. So once you see that your baby hamsters are wean, they are safe to be handled.

I hope you have learned when is it ok to touch newborn hamsters from my article and I want to mention that you should touch your baby hamsters, with a pair of gloves on, only if you need to do so. Wishing you and your hamster happiness!

Martin Sim is the co-creater of Hamster Cages. He has 8 roborovski hamsters and loves taking care of them.

Visit: http://Hamsters-Cages.blogspot.com to get your very own hamster cage now!

I grew up on a small farm in Alabama. It has always been my dream to return to farming, and today my husband and I are working toward that goal. We are not alone, several of my friends have expressed the same desire.

In today’s world more and more people have set the goal of living the self sufficient life. A lot of today’s Baby Boomers, and their children are going back to the land. Living off the grid, raising livestock, growing their own food, and saving money are their goals.

Self sufficient living entails reverting back to a more traditional way of life. This means weaning ourselves from our complete dependence on outside sources for everything we need for survival and economic activity. For almost all of American history–with the exception of the last 100 years or so–smaller communities were capable of producing the basic necessities of survival, especially if called upon to do so by external events.

In most cases, they could grow their own food and maintain a certain level of economic activity to ensure their member’s survival. Just watch the TV series Little House On the Prairie, this will give you such an example of a rural community working together so that they all survive. Over the last century we have lost this ability. During the Great Depression, people who lived in cities suffered the most, because they could not grow their own food, and because of their lost jobs, they became dependent on the government checks from week to week to help them to survive. They had become completely dependent upon the state. Unfortunately this is still the case in some cities today. Contrast that with the independence of frontier communities just 80 years earlier which would have taken such a depression in their stride.

Today’s Economic Problems are Getting Worse

Today, a decreasing fossil fuel supply is already causing a slowdown in economic activity . Also people are more aware of “Global Warming” and more are taking steps to reduce energy usage, as well as a trend towards producing necessities such as food grown locally or regionally instead of relying on suppliers a half-a-world away.

Self sufficiency will also save you a lot of money! Having solar panels and/or a wind turbine on your house can save you thousands of dollars in energy costs, and will help the environment. Growing your own food, and learning to home can is also a colossal money saver. I grew up canning my own vegetables and fruit, and we never ran short during the winter months.

Even though it may seem like a “pipe dream”, self sufficiency is a goal that we can all work toward. If you live in the city, try container gardening or even hydroponic gardening, It takes up a small amount of space, and can produce a lot of food.

<a href=”http://www.squidoo.com/self-sufficient-life”>For more information on a Self Sufficient Life: Click Here</a>

Ro_Pat

Babies get easily distracted and this has become a challenge for moms while nursing.  The baby may not be rejecting your breast if she is below a year old.  Babies can get distracted by anything and everything at all different stages and ages of their nursing career. As your baby becomes more aware of her surroundings, she will want to see it all, take it in, and will hate to miss a thing. When Grandma walks in the room, when Dad talks, when the television is turned on, or even when there is a distant lawn mower starting, your baby will turn off the boob.  It will become harder and harder for her to ignore the noises, voices, and new happenings in your baby’s life.

It is your new challenge as a mom to experiment with what works for your baby to get in good solid feedings. A quiet and private place everytime you nurse is one option to get into. A totally different eater is what becomes of your baby in a quiet room or with the television off. The idea that at ages under one year, your baby is not purposely weaning herself is for you to realize.  For your baby, curiosities come first before hunger pains.

Changing your position is one good option while nursing. One possible way of calming the baby enough to take her out of learns my new world mode and put her into nursing mode is to simply lie down.  As your baby gets bigger, it is a bit easier and more comfortable for Mom to lie down.

Another way of making your baby comfortable while you nurse them is by having or wearing some comfy nursing maternity clothing and making sure you have proper nursing apparel that you and your baby needs.  Nursing pajamas, nursing gowns, nursing cover and nursing bra can be very helpful.

Offering more frequent feedings will solve the problem, even if it requires more work.  Even if your baby does not ask, you could try putting her to your breast more often during the day to see if you can get more small feedings in to even out the total intake of milk.

Feeding the baby at night, when there is less distraction would be the last resort.  Before sleep patterns, nutrition come first.  This may be thought of as an opinion because both are almost equally as important.  If it really came down to a choice, choosing nutrition would be an advice.  In my opinion, sleeping regularly and well is just as important as nutrition for an infant that is developing sleep habits for the first time.  Throughout the day, it will make up for lost feedings if you are at the last resort.

Keep in mind your milk supply is based on supply and demand theory and if your baby keeps up the distractions while she eats, your supply will go down and you will then have to work harder to bring it back up. As soon as you realize that your little one has started catching distractions, you will most likely catch her attention back before she develops the habit of doing it.

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Deciding where to purchase your new parrot is one of the most important decisions you will make. While pet stores and rescue sites will sometimes have birds or specialize in birds, these two or just options in where to buy parrots.

Parrot Breeders need to have a good reputation that is verifiable. This is the best choice, as it will give you a quality bird without problems. Pet stores and rescue sites that have purchased birds often cannot give a history of a particular bird. This can result in a bird that may possibly have been abused and may have behavioral problems. A good breeder will be able to tell you the history of each bird and will have taken care of them as if they were their children.

Breeders will tell you how a particular bird eats, likes and dislikes and the best time of day to feed the bird. They will not sell baby parrots that have not been weaned from the mother. Baby parrots need to be eating soft pellets and seeds along with fresh produce. A baby parrot will become sick and possibly die if not weaned from the mother first.

Make sure the breeder you choose has allowed the baby birds to learn to fly before the wings are clipped. Some owners prefer the wings be clipped to deter the bird from flying about the room. But the ultimate interest is in the well being of the bird so make sure baby birds can fly, maneuver and land before purchasing a particular bird.

Parrots are very social birds, so the better breeders will maintain as normal an existence in the aviary as possible so the parrots can have a natural setting in order to be healthier and have a happy disposition. It’s important to note that some rescue birds have been abused or not taken care of properly and will resort to biting, screeching, pulling their feathers out among other things.

Breeders should not send parrots long distance. This is traumatic to the bird and you may not get the bird you thought you were getting. Visit the premises to view the cleanliness of the aviaries, the particular type of parrot you are looking for and the background of the company is essential. This is just the first responsible act that will be needed in order to love and care for parrots. Parrot breeders will be more than happy to take you on a tour, view all the birds and the parents, which will be on premises.

In the case of rescue sites and pet stores, there are many birds that would love a happy, stable home. But keep in mind, sometimes these birds have moved around quite a bit or have outlived their owners since they can live up to 60 years. This will sometimes present a challenge to the owner.

Jason Hutton is a parrot breeding expert. For more great parrot breeding tips visit http://www.caringforparrots.com.

Lactose intolerance is a condition the vast majority of the world’s population suffer from to some degree, particularly adults. What’s more is, whilst lactose intolerance is so common, and some people may suffer terribly with it, the majority of sufferers do not know they are lactose intolerant, and are unaware it is lactose which is causing their bodies distress.

So what is lactose, and why are so many people intolerant to it?

Lactose is one of the prime sugar compounds found in milk. It is present in any milk which comes from animals or humans. In our bodies, we have many different kinds of enzymes which deal with our food intake. These enzymes are basically converters. They take the raw materials we consume, and convert them into special fuel and nutrients our bodies can then use. Without these enzymes, our bodies wouldn’t be able to run on what we give them as raw materials, almost like a diesel car wouldn’t run if you put petrol into it.

So these enzymes are critical to our survival and wellbeing. The enzyme which is responsible for converting lactose into something useful is lactase, which is produced within the small intestine, and the something useful is glucose. Glucose is our bodies’ main energy source, and our brains and nervous systems rely only on glucose to function, so it is vitally important.

As babies, our lactose tolerance tends to be at its highest in our lifetimes. This is because of human evolution, where females produce breast milk and babies are weaned on this milk, and sometimes only on this milk, for a short time. Because a baby needs glucose, and milk may be the only thing consumed in the earliest days, these high levels of lactase production ensure the baby gets the most from their feed, wasting very little lactose.

When a baby gets older, between the ages of 2 – 5, we tend to lose much of our tolerance to lactose. The reason for this is, although lactose can sustain a baby during the earliest times, it is absolutely inadequate and inefficient as a main glucose source for people who are older and more active. When we get older and begin eating other foods, our main source of glucose is carbohydrates. Because of this, our small intestines begin to produce less of the lactase enzyme, because high amounts simply aren’t needed anymore.

The result is, when we drink milk or consume other products which are high in lactose content, our bodies can have a hard time processing all of the lactose due to such low lactase production. This can lead to symptoms such as stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhoea. Of course, symptoms will depend entirely on an individual’s lactase production levels and lactose consumption levels.

Although you may not know it, the simple fact is, humans were never meant to continue consuming the quantities of milk we do – if at all – past the weaning period. We have only recently begun to do so since humans domesticated animals such as cows and begun to consume their milk. On the evolutionary scale, the time we’ve been practicing this is minute, therefore our bodies haven’t for the most part genetically evolved to continue producing good levels of lactase in adulthood. This isn’t the case for some people, however. In parts of northern Europe where dairy farming and milk consumption have been going on for generations and generations, some people have genetically developed what is known as ‘lactase persistence’ into adulthood, where lactase production has remained high allowing high quantities of milk to be consumed without any side effects. Northern Europe and those of Northern European descent are thought to be the most lactose tolerant people in the world.

It is worth noting not all babies are lactose tolerant, and some may suffer side effects. If you think your baby may be lactose intolerant, you should raise your concerns with your doctor immediately to prevent the baby from suffering.

Detailed information about lactose intolerance is available at http://www.lactose-intolerance.co.uk.